Hair donation to make wigs for cancer patients not only helps them regain self-confidence but also brings joy and optimism to them. Hair donation shows love and care for cancer patients, thereby helping them reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, giving them a sense of connection and belonging, as well as helping them feel more in control of their health and situation.

Doctor Dam Minh Son along with staff from the Social Work Department of the Da Nang General Hospital giving a natural wig to cancer patient Le Thi Dao. Photo: Tieu Yieu

Donate hair, bring hope and smiles in cancer patients’ faces

Hair is an important part of everyone’s looks. It is normal for people to feel upset about losing their hair. Hair is precious and even more so to someone who loses it suddenly due to medical reasons.

For cancer patients, hair loss is the upsetting side effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. and often results in anxiety, depression, a negative body image, and lowered self-esteem.

60 year-old Le Thi Dao, a resident of Dak Lak Province was diagnosed with cancer one year ago after undergoing medical examination at the Oncology Department of the Da Nang General Hospital. In addition, Mrs Thao Nguyen is another patient. Cancer treatment has left their bald or caused hair loss.  As a result, hair loss from chemotherapy has made them very distressing and self-deprecating.

They are among patients who have received free wigs made from natural hair with the help of the hair donation program called “Gift Hair, Gift Compassion” launched by the Social Work Department of the Da Nang General Hospital. The intention is to call for hair donations to make real wigs for cancer patients in efforts to help them feel more like themselves, improve their mood, which will help them greatly on the road to recovery.

Vo Le Uyen, 26, who is a nurse working at the Oncology Department of the Da Nang General Hospital said that she decided to cut around 22 inches of her hair off for this program to make real wigs for cancer patients as she was moved by how natural wigs transformed their moods. She feels happy with her small action by donating her hair that can make a big difference to people with hair loss from cancer treatment. She said that her hair donation encapsulates her love and compassionfor cancer patients.

“By donating my hair, I just hope it will help someone, and bring a smile to someone’s face. As a healthcare worker at the Oncology Department, I have come across many patients who have lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy so she could feel the joys, sorrows and pain of her patients day by day. Therefore, I understand the spiritual significance of hair donation to make wigs for cancer patients. By donating my hair, I want to create a special connection with cancer patients, as well as deliver a positive message to them that they are not alone in their fight against cancer," Uyen added.

In their efforts to bring hope and smiles in cancer patients’ faces, many female doctors and nurses at the Oncology Department are encouraging each other to grow their hair in order to donate it to support these patients.

Doctor Dam Minh Son who works at the Department of Oncology, said that cancer patients face unique short-term and long-term challenges to physical and mental health. Hair which is a symbol of femininity and beauty but every cancer patient experiences hair loss differently. Hair usually begins falling out two to four weeks after the beginning of treatment. One might lose all of their hair or just some of it. It could start slowly over time or thin out. In most cases, hair will begin to grow back several months after the treatment has finished.

According to Doctor Son, women with cancer can choose and wear a wig in order to help make them feel and look like themselves, as well as boost their confidence during radiation therapy. However, a wig made from natural hair costs between VND 5 million and VND 10 million so not all patients can afford it.

Transforming lives

Many children are among individual donors who support the hair donation program launched by the Da Nang General Hospital, of whom, a kind-hearted schoolgirl named Tran Le Bao Chau, a resident of Lien Chieu District is the youngest. The 12 year- old has cut off an incredible 14 inches (35 centimetres) of her hair for this charity program, and she has set a record for longest hair donated to the charity program by an individual.

Bao Chau said that she stopped cutting her hair 3 years ago with her original intention of donating her hair to the Wig Library of the Breast Cancer Network Vietnam (BCNV). BCNV’s Wig library is a project of making wigs from natural hair contributed by the community and providing them for free for poor cancer patients. However, the generous girl decided to donate her 35 cm-long hair to this charity program. Her mother was moved by her daughter’s kind act, and she promised that she would join her daughter in growing hair and donating it as many times as possible.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Quoc, the Deputy Manager of the Social Work Department under the Da Nang General Hospital, the hospital’s charity program has till date gathered more than 100 donations of hair of varying lengths to make close to 20 wigs in order to give them free to female patients who are under treatment at the hospital's Oncology Department.

People who are interested in donating their hair, can please visit such hair salons as Lix AD, Beo Vinh Hoang, Tri Hoang Vu or go directly to the Oncology Department of the Da Nang General Hospital. Anybody can donate hair that is at least 25cm long to create real wigs for cancer patients.

In particular, these wigs are designed to tailor the needs and styles of the patients. They can go to the hair salons under the charity program to get best hairstyle that suits their face shape after getting these wigs.

It is known that the market cost to have a wig made from natural hair ranges from VND 2.5 million to VND 3 million but it costs only VND 1.5 million for a real wig with the help of the Social Work Department of the Da Nang General Hospital. For financially disadvantaged patients, the department will call for financial support to help them pay for a wig.  

“In addition to the support from donors for the hospital’s hair donation charity program, hair salons’ companionship has helped many cancer patients get free wigs. Before donation, hair should be freshly washed and completely dry in order to protect the patients’ health. Currently, the hospital's hair library is in desperate of gray hair to make wigs for elderly patients, "said Mr Quoc.

Donating hair for cancer patients is a meaningful and rewarding way, and it can make a big difference in the lives of people with hair loss due to chemotherapy treatment. Many patients are under huge financial pressure when they are undergoing treatment, and hair is often seen as a luxury they cannot afford. More specifically, beautiful wigs made from real hair will help bring the hope, joy and optimism to women with cancer in order to make their journey a little easier, as well as help them feel more resilient and better able to concentrate on their health.

 Reporting by TIEU YEN – translating by H.L